Roof joint



United States Patent Olfice 3,394,508 ROOF JOINT Gordon H. Burke, Jr., Shawnee, Kans., and John Barthel] Joseph, Jr., Greenville, Miss., assignors to Reed-Joseph Company, North Greenville, Miss., a partnership Filed Feb. 28, 1966, Ser. No. 530,621 2 Claims. (CI. 52-82) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A sheet metal roof joint having high strength characteristics by 'virtue of shifting the centroid to increase resistance to flexure through use of clamping bolts passing through not only the bights of U-shaped edges of the panels but through flanges that embrace and engage the bights, such flanges being integral with a tubular cap which houses the laterally extending legs of the U-shaped edges.

This invention relates to improved joints for interconnecting a series of panels, such as sheet metal building panels, to form a wall.

Light gauge metal is generally used to reduce the cost of the wall; however, since such material is easily flexed and deformed, it is traditional to utilize short spans of metal with reinforcement provided at the joint between the spans. As often as not, reinforcement is the controlling factor from a cost standpoint and, as a result, it is not economical to provide adequate safety factor to cover all eventualities; for example, reinforcement suflicient to prevent permanent deformation of the roof it a workman were to leap from an adjacent building and land in the center of a sheet metal panel.

It is, therefore, the primary object of this invention to provide an improved joint with a resultant structure having the centroid or center of gravity of a transverse section of the interconnected panels shifted away from the panels so that when the latter are put into tension by longitudinal flexing of the joint, the moment arm through which the tensile strength of the panel acts is increased, thus increasing the resistance to such flexure.

As a corollary to the foregoing object, it is an important aim of this invention to provide such a joint having the edges of proximal panels completely housed by a cap spaced from the panel causing the edges to be weather-proofed and the centroid of a transverse section of the interconnected panels to be shifted away from the panels.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a tubular cap with a pair of flanges thereon presenting a T-shaped channel for housing a pair of U-shaped corresponding edges of proximal building panels to the end that, when the flanges and edges are clamped together, the cap, the flanges, the edges and panels will operate together as a single unit for protection from weather and excess flexure.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a joint which increases the over-all strength of the structure without additional cost and without loss of simplicity in the design thereof.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary, perspective view of a building having a top wall embodying the improved roof joint of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, perspective view of one joint of the Wall shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3 with the addition of a stiffener.

3,394,508 Patented July 30, 1968 A building embodying the principles of the instant invention, broadly designated by the numeral 10, may be constructed of any suitable material such as sheet metal. A roof or top wall 12 comprises a series of interconnected, elongated panels 14 provided with U-shaped, longitudinal edges 16. Each edge 16 has a bight 18 and a leg 20 extending laterally from the bight 18. Bight 18 of each edge 16 is disposed in side-by-side relationship to the bight 18 of a proximal edge 16, thereby forming a joint 22.

An elongated, tubular cap 24, coextensive in length with the edges 16, is provided at each joint 22 respectively for housing the corresponding legs 20. Cap 24 has a top 32, a pair of sides 34, and a bottom 36 underlying respective legs 20. A pair of opposed flanges 26 on bottom 36 of cap 24 embrace corresponding bights 18. Bights 18 and flanges 26 have a series of aligned apertures 28. Clamping means in the nature of a fastener comprising a bolt and nut assembly 30 is received through aperture 28 for holding the bights 18 and flanges 26 clamped together.

In assembling the joint, a T-shaped slot 42, formed by the cap 24 and flanges 26, is aligned with bights 18 and legs 20. The cap 24 and flanges 26 are then shifted longitudinally as from the dotted-line position to the solid-line position shown in FIG. 2 until corresponding apertures 28 are in alignment.

If desired, as seen in FIG. 4, a stiffener 38 coextensive in length with bights 18 may be used. The stiffener 38 has a lateral extension 40, and a series of apertures (not shown) aligned with apertures 28. Stiflener 38 is held clamped between bights 28 by a nut and bolt assembly 30.

As seen in FIG. 3, the center of gravity or centroid of the section shown, is at a higher elevation than panel 14 as designated by the letter C. Thus, if a force F were applied to cap 24, as shown in FIG. 2, to thereby flex joint 22 downwardly, panel 14 would be in tension. The tensile strength of panel 14 has a substantial moment arm to act through, and since cap 24, flanges 26 and edges 16 are clamped together, they act as an integrated unit to resist longitudinal flexing of the joint 22.

In order for the tensile strength of panel 14 to be used to its greatest advantage, it has been discovered that it is desirable to shift the centroid of the transverse section of the interconnected panels illustrated in FIG. 3 away from panels 14. Additionally, it has been found that flanges 26 and bights 18 must be clamped tightly together so that panels 14 will be put into tension when a force F is applied to cap 24 to cause a longitudinal, downward flexing of joint 22. If bights 18 are not clamped tightly between flanges 26, bights 18 and panels 14 will be free to shift longitudinally with respect to cap 24 and flanges 26 when the latter are flexed longitudinally and panels 14 will then not be put into tension and the joint 22 would be greatly weakened.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a building roof having a series of relatively light weight, sheet metal panels, each provided with a pair of opposed, U-shaped, longitudinal edges, each edge having an outwardly extending bight and a leg extending laterally from the bight, each bight of each edge being in side-byside engagement with the bight of a proximal edge, forming a joint, and an elongated, tubular cap at each joint respectively, said cap being formed to present a substantially T-shaped space therewithin and being coextensive in length with the edges and housing the corresponding legs within said space, said legs terminating within the cap, with the free ends thereof disposed in spaced relationship from the inner perimeter of said space within the cap for facilitating assembly of the joint,

a pair of flanges on the cap embracing corresponding bights in engagement therewith; and

3 4 a plurality of bolt and nut assemblies spaced along each lateral extension disposed on the inside of the panels joint respectively, the bolts passing through the bights opposite to said edges thereof. and the flanges for holding the bights and the flanges clamped together, References Cited said flanges being integral with the cap, interposed be- 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS tween the panel and the leg of each corresponding 1,145 202 7/1915 McFarland edge respectively, and terminating in spaced relation- 1,718:O14 6/1929 Westlin XR ShIPtP the P 2,103,407 12/1937 Dean 52-584 XR Thelnvamlon of dam 2,867,857 1/1959 McCarthy 52-582 and a stiffener for each joint respectively coextensive in 10 length with the bights and held clamped therebe- FRANK ABBOTT: Pnmwy tween by said assemblies, each stiffener having a P C PAW A iga E i 

